Scargill was totally right in his predictions and his detractors were proved to be scoundrels. I can remember Tebbit coming on the box and saying - not a single miner would lose his job.

Defend that, if you will.

However without knowing it - Scargill helped Thatcher immeasurably by his short sightedness. She promised free collective baraining , and so when she was elected AS put in for huge wage claims. At this point, disability payments and mobility allowances were frozen. It ammounted to a 30% cut which no government has since made good.

In short, he was a bit of a prat - but he had her number.